The leader of the Marxist opposition Anura Kumara Dissanayake was declared the winner of the presidential elections in Sri Lanka - the first since the country was rocked by a financial crisis two years ago, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Dissanayake, head of the National People's Power coalition, which includes his Marxist-leaning Janata Vimukti Peramuna party, won about 40 percent of the roughly 17 million eligible voters. The President of Sri Lanka has a five-year term.
He heads the Marxist party "Janata Vimukti Peramuna", which participated in two previous failed uprisings against the then state power - in 1971 and in 1988-1990.
Sajith Premadasa, leader of the parliamentary opposition, came in second place, and former president Ranil Wickremesinghe - in third place, the election commission announced today.
Wickremesinghe, who has served as prime minister more than once, assumed the presidency two years ago after Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected in November 2019, fled the country amid protests over the country's economic collapse.< /p>
A second round of counting was called for after none of the nearly 40 candidates achieved the required 50 percent majority after the first round. Only the first two candidates remained for the second round - Dissanayake and Premadasa, and the others were removed from the race.
The head of the election commission called the election the most peaceful in the country's history, according to the "Sri Lankan Daily Mirror". However, a few hours after the vote, a nationwide curfew was declared to maintain public order.
Premadasa and Dissanayake are seeking to renegotiate the deal with the IMF, which provided a bailout of about $3 billion. The program is associated with strict conditions for economic reforms and unpopular economies.